[aigel]

This is no doubt a German invention. In Germany, even before this feature, the car would be off anytime you are stopped for more than 2 seconds. There were even traffic lights in some cities that had a counter on them to show how long the light would be red, so people both knew if it was still worth shutting down for it and when to start the cars back up again.

So, I think this feature was born in Germany and just made its way across the pond recently. It was already a feature on a rental in 2011 if I recall, when I was visiting and getting a ride in a C class MB. The starter wear is not an issue, you can overbuild that and if you think of it, the actual "on" time of the components is minimal.

I don't care for the feature but would never disable it as it is saving fuel. I don't have a vehicle with it currently.

The Germans may be one extreme but the US Americans are the other. They idle their cars all the time, waiting for someone, in the drive though, warming it up (?), standing next to it smoking etc. etc. - gas is still way too cheap apparently.

G